Telecommunications panel assembly with movable adapters

ABSTRACT

A telecommunications panel assembly ( 10 ) includes a chassis ( 14 ) defining a front ( 16 ), a top ( 20 ), a bottom ( 22 ), and two sides ( 24 ) and a plurality of adapter mounting modules ( 26 ) mounted to the chassis ( 14 ) at the front ( 16 ), each adapter mounting module ( 26 ) including a plurality of fiber optic adapters ( 36 ) mounted in a line. At least one of the adapter mounting modules ( 26 ) is mounted to the chassis ( 14 ) with a pair of supports ( 50 ) that are pivotable with respect to the at least one adapter module ( 26 ) such that the at least one adapter module ( 26 ) is removable from the chassis ( 14 ) and remountable at a position spaced linearly apart from another of the adapter mounting modules ( 26 ), wherein all of the adapter mounting modules ( 26 ) are also pivotally mounted about horizontal rotation axes ( 42 ) extending parallel to the top ( 20 ) and bottom ( 22 ) and transversely to the sides ( 24 ).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/186,001, filed on Jun. 29, 2015 and claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/151,722, filed on Apr. 23, 2015, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to fiber optic termination panels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With respect to telecommunications cable termination panels, there is an ever increasing need to increase density. The cable termination panels of the prior art include adapters, which hold mating connectors of a fiber optic transmission pathway.

By increasing density, more terminations can be located in a given area, such as on a rack or in a cabinet. However, by increasing the density, connector access becomes more difficult for a technician needing to make a new connection, or make a disconnection, such as to clean a connector, or move to a new adapter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a telecommunications panel assembly including a chassis defining an open front, and a main body including a top, a bottom, and two sides. A plurality of adapter mounting modules are mounted to the front. Each adapter mounting module includes a plurality of fiber optic adapters mounted in a line. At least one of the adapter mounting modules is pivotally or rotatably mounted with respect to another module at a different row about a horizontal rotation axis extending parallel to the top and bottom, and transversely to the sides of the chassis for improved connector access. According to one embodiment, one of the adapter mounting modules may also be liftable with respect to another module at a different row for improving access to the back side of the adapter module of the lower row. The chassis may include cable management fingers associated with each of the rows for guiding cables to a larger radius limiter at one of the sides, adjacent to the front of the chassis.

In one embodiment, each of the adapters is mounted at an angle to the adapter mounting modules to direct the cables extending therefrom toward the radius limiter at one of the sides of the chassis.

Methods of use are also provided.

According to one aspect, the telecommunications panel assembly comprises a chassis including a front, the chassis further defining a top, a bottom, and two sides. A plurality of adapter mounting modules are mounted to the chassis at the front, each adapter mounting module including a plurality of fiber optic adapters mounted in a line. At least one of the adapter mounting modules is pivotally mounted about a horizontal rotation axis extending parallel to the top and bottom, and transversely to the sides, wherein the at least one pivotable adapter mounting module is rotatable in either an upward or a downward direction. A cable guide or radius limiter associated with one of the sides is adjacent to the front of the chassis.

According to another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a telecommunications panel assembly comprising a chassis including a front, the chassis further defining a top, a bottom, and two sides and a plurality of adapter mounting modules mounted to the chassis at the front, each adapter mounting module including a plurality of fiber optic adapters mounted in a line. At least one of the adapter mounting modules is mounted to the chassis with a pair of supports that are pivotable with respect to the at least one adapter module such that the at least one adapter module is removable from the chassis and remountable at a position spaced linearly apart from another of the adapter mounting modules.

According to one embodiment, all of the adapter mounting modules are also pivotally mounted about a horizontal rotation axis extending parallel to the top and bottom and transversely to the sides.

According to another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a method of increasing access to adapters of an adapter mounting module mounted to a telecommunications chassis that defines a front, a top, a bottom, and two sides, the method comprising removing an adapter mounting module from the chassis, pivoting a pair of supports that are mounted at right and left sides of the adapter mounting module, and remounting the adapter mounting module to the chassis via the supports at a position spaced linearly apart from another adapter mounting module that is initially adjacent to the remounted adapter module. According to one embodiment, the remounted adapter mounting module is also initially pivotable with respect to the other adapter mounting module about a horizontal rotation axis extending parallel to the top and bottom, and transversely to the sides.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front, top, left side perspective view of a telecommunications panel assembly in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a front, top, right side perspective view of the telecommunications panel assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates the telecommunications panel assembly of FIG. 1 with an upper adapter mounting module of the assembly positioned at a raised configuration;

FIG. 4 shows the assembly of FIG. 3 with one of the lift supports of the adapter mounting module in phantom lines to illustrate the positive stop features of the pivot pin of the adapter mounting module;

FIG. 4A is a close-up view of a portion of the assembly of FIG. 4 illustrating the pivotable coupling of the lift support to the adapter mounting module;

FIG. 5 illustrates the telecommunications panel assembly of FIG. 3 with the upper adapter mounting module of the assembly positioned at a raised configuration from a right perspective view;

FIG. 6 illustrates the telecommunications panel assembly of FIG. 3 with the upper adapter mounting module of the assembly positioned at a raised configuration from a front view;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 illustrates the telecommunications panel assembly of FIG. 3 with the upper adapter mounting module of the assembly positioned at a raised configuration from a top view;

FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9A-9A of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 9A, illustrating the pivot range of the upper adapter mounting module with respect to the lift supports of the module;

FIG. 10 illustrates the telecommunications panel assembly of FIG. 1 with the upper adapter mounting module of the assembly positioned at a lowered/neutral configuration from a top view;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 11, illustrating the frictional interaction of the upper and lower adapter mounting modules when either of the modules is pivoted with respect to the other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1-12, a telecommunications panel assembly 10 is shown, which defines a plurality of cable termination locations 12. Panel assembly 10 includes a chassis 14 with an open front 16. Chassis 14 includes a main body 18 defining a top 20 (depicted as an open top), a bottom 22, and sides 24. A plurality of adapter mounting modules 26 are mounted to the chassis 14 and are accessible through the open front 16. In the depicted embodiment, the adapter mounting modules 26 are provided in an upper row 28 and a lower row 30. Even though the chassis 14 is shown with two rows 28, 30, other numbers of rows are possible.

Each adapter mounting module 26 includes a frame 32 with a module opening 34. Module opening 34 includes a plurality of adapters 36 mounted therein. Adapters 36 hold mating connectors 38 to allow for fiber optic signal transmission. As shown, the adapters 36 may be mounted at an angle within the module openings 34 for reducing the amount of cable bending as the cables 40 extend toward one of the sides 24 of the chassis 14.

As will be discussed in further detail below, at least one of the adapter mounting modules 26 may be pivotable or rotatable about a pivot axis 42 with respect to an adapter mounting module 26 of a different row, wherein the pivot axis 42 extends horizontally and is defined by a pivot pin 52 of the module 26. In the example embodiment shown, both of the upper and lower modules 26 a, 26 b are pivotable as will be discussed in further detail below. Please see FIG. 12. The pivotability of the modules 26 improves access to the connectors 38 mounted to the adapters 36 of both the upper module 26 a and the lower module 26 b.

In one embodiment, panel assembly 10 includes a radius limiter 46 positioned adjacent to one of sides 24 of the chassis 14. The angled mounting of the adapters 36 limit bending as the cables 40 are directed toward the radius limiter 46. In the embodiment shown, the chassis 14 also includes a plurality of cable management fingers 48 extending both forward and rearward from the adapter mounting modules 26. The rear cable management fingers 48 manage cables 40 coming into the chassis 14 for connection to the rear ends of the adapters 36, and front cable management fingers 48 manage cables 40 extending from the front ends of the adapters 36 toward the larger radius limiter 46 at the side 24 of the chassis 14.

As will be discussed in further detail, in addition to the pivoting feature associated with the module 26 a of the upper row 28, the upper module 26 a may also be liftable with respect to the module 26 b of the lower row 30 for improving access to the back side of the lower adapter module 26 b. The liftability feature may be reversed with respect to the upper and lower rows. For example, it is contemplated by the present disclosure that the chassis 14 may be designed to have the bottom module 26 b lowered with respect to the upper module 26 a in order to improve access to the rear connectors 38 of the lower module 26 b or the upper module 26 a.

Now referring to FIGS. 1-4A, 9A, 9B, 11, and 12, in order to provide both pivotability and liftability for the adapter module 26 a of the upper row 28, the telecommunications panel assembly 10 includes a pair of lift supports 50 that are used to support the upper adapter module 26 a at a raised position. For sake of simplicity, only the left side of the chassis 14 including a left lift support 50 and the associated features on the left side of the chassis 14 will be discussed, with the understanding that the description is fully applicable to the right side of the chassis 14. Even though the features on the left side of the chassis 14 are fully applicable to the right side of the chassis 14, it should be noted that there may be certain differences between the left and right sides of the chassis and of the adapter modules for aspects such as keying, as will be discussed below.

As shown, the upper adapter mounting module 26 a defines a pivot pin 52. The pivot pin 52 extends out from a side face 54 defined by the module 26 a. The module 26 a is configured to pivot along an axis 42 defined by the pivot pin 52 when the module 26 a is in the lowered/neutral position. As will be discussed in further detail, in the depicted embodiment, the adapter module 26 a is configured to pivot counterclockwise when looking at the module 26 a from the left side such that the adapter ports of the top row 28 are raised upwardly at an angle.

The pivot pin 52 defines a flange portion 56 and a stem portion 58. The flange portion 56 is generally circular and is used to mount the upper module 26 a to the chassis 14 when the upper module 26 a is positioned at the lowered/neutral configuration.

The flange portion 56 may be slidably inserted into a flange pocket 57 provided on the chassis 14 when mounting the upper module 26 a to the chassis 14. It should be noted that the flange portion 56 at the left side of the module 26 a (and the corresponding flange pocket 57 of the chassis 14) may include a different configuration than the flange portion 56 at the right side of the module 26 a (and the corresponding flange pocket 57 of the chassis 14) for keying purposes. For example, as shown in the top view of the depicted embodiment in FIG. 8, the flange portion 56 at the left side of the module 26 a (and the corresponding flange pocket 57 at the left side of the chassis 14) may define a larger cross-dimension than the flange portion 56 at the right side of the module 26 a (and the corresponding flange pocket 57 at the right side of the chassis 14) such that the module 26 a is only insertable in a single keyed orientation.

Referring back to FIGS. 1-4A, 9A, 9B, 11, and 12, the stem portion 58 of the pivot pin 52 defines a cross-shaped transverse cross-section 60. As will be discussed in further detail below, the cross-shape 60 of the stem 58 provides the ability to lock the upper module 26 a at discrete angular positions as the module 26 a is pivoted with respect to the lower module 26 b when the upper module 26 a is at the lowered position. The cross-shaped stem 58 interacts with the lift support 50 to provide the discrete angular locking positions as will be discussed in further detail below.

The pivot pin 52 also includes a stop tab 62 at the base 64 of the stem portion 58, adjacent the side face 54 defined by the module 26 a. As will be discussed in further detail below, the stop tab 62 rides within a groove 66 defined on the lift support 50, wherein ends 68 of the groove 66 provide positive stops for the upper module 26 a when the module 26 a is removed from the chassis 14 and moved to a lifted position using the lift support 50. Please see FIGS. 9A, 9B, 11, and 12.

When mounting the upper adapter module 26 a to the chassis 14 at the lowered/neutral position, the flange portion 56 of the pivot pin 52 is inserted into the flange pocket 57, and the stem portion 58 of the pivot pin 52 is inserted into a slot 70 provided at the side 24 of the chassis 14. Once the flange portion 56 is in the pocket 57 and the stem portion 58 is within the slot 70, a flexible latch 72 of the chassis 14 covers the circular flange portion 56 of the pivot pin 52 to retain the module 26 a at the mounted position. As shown, the flexible latch 72 defines a finger notch 74 for elastically moving the latch 72 away from the flange portion 56 of the pivot pin 52 in removing the module 26 a from the chassis 14.

Now referring to the lift support 50 and the functionality thereof, the lift support 50 defines a mounting end 76 and a pivot end 78. The pivot end 78 is configured to provide the pivotability for the upper module 26 a with respect to the lower module 26 b. The mounting end 76 is used in mounting the upper module 26 a to the chassis 14 in the raised position.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, 4A, 9A, 9B, 11, and 12, the pivot end 78 of the lift support 50 is generally C-shaped and defines an opening 80 for receiving the stem portion 58 of the pivot pin 52 of the upper module 26 a. Within the opening 80 of the C-shaped pivot end 78 of the lift support 50 are a pair of opposing flexible locking arms 82. The flexible locking arms 82 are configured to interact with the cross-shaped stem portion 58 of the pivot pin 52. The flexible locking arms 82 not only allow pivotability of the upper module 26 a along the pivot axis 42 but also lock the upper module 26 a at discrete angular positions. As shown, the flexible locking arms 82 define protrusions 84 that abut the legs 86 forming the cross-shaped stem 58 of the pivot pin 52. In this manner, the interaction of the pivot end 78 of the lift support 50 (specifically, the flexible locking arms 82) with the pivot pin 52 of the module 26 a provides discrete locking at 45-degree intervals.

When the upper module 26 a needs to be moved to a raised position with respect to the lower module 26 b for accessing the back side of the lower module 26 b, the mounting end 76 of the lift support 50 is used. When the module 26 a needs to be raised, the flexible latch 72 of the chassis 14 is moved away from the flange portion 56 of the pivot pin 52, and the stem portion 58 of the pivot pin 52 is taken out of the slot 70. The module 26 a, along with the lift support 50, is lifted off the chassis 14. At this point, the lift support 50 is rotated clockwise with respect to the upper module 26 a, with the cross-shaped stem 58 of the pivot pin 52 rotating between the flexible locking arms 82 of the lift support 50.

As noted previously, when the lift support 50 is rotated relative to the upper module 26 a, the stop tab 62 of the pivot pin 52 of the module 26 a interacts with the groove 66 defined on the inner side of the pivot end 78 of the lift support 50. The interaction between the ends 68 of the groove 66 and the stop tab 62 provides positive stops for the upper module 26 a as the lift support 50 is pivoted with respect to the upper module 26 a. In this manner, a user cannot rotate the lift support 50 past the desired position. The stop tab 62 provides positive stops at positions that are 90 degrees apart to allow a user to move the upper adapter mounting module 26 a from a lowered position to a raised position.

Once the lift support 50 has been rotated 90 degrees clockwise with respect to the module 26 a, the mounting end 76 is used in mounting the upper module 26 a back to the chassis 14, but this time, in a raised position. Thus, instead of the module 26 a being directly mounted to the chassis 14 (as in the lowered position), the lift support 50 now essentially acts as an intermediate structure between upper module 26 a and the chassis 14 when mounting the upper module 26 a at the raised position.

The mounting end 76 of the lift support 50 defines a mounting pin 88. The mounting pin 88 includes a flange portion 90 and a stem portion 92. When the upper adapter mounting module 26 a needs to be lifted to the raised position, the stem portion 92 is inserted into the slot 70 of the chassis 14 that was previously used to receive the cross-shaped stem 58 of the module pivot pin 52 (when the module 26 a was at the lowered position). The flange portion 90 is once again covered by the flexible latching arm 72 of the chassis 14 in retaining the stem portion 92 of the mounting pin 88 of the lift support 50 within the chassis slot 70.

The stem portion 92 of the mounting pin 88 of the lift support 50 defines flats 94 that abut parallel edges 96 defining the square shaped slot 70 of the chassis 14. The interaction of the flat surfaces 94, 96 keeps the lift support 50 at a vertical position and thus the upper module 26 a at a lifted position.

With the upper module 26 a at the lifted position, access to the back side of the lower module 26 b is facilitated.

If the upper module 26 a needs to be lowered again, the steps are reversed. The mounting pin 88 of the lift support 50 is lifted out of the chassis slot 70 after moving the flexible latch 72 out of the way. The lift support 50 is then rotated counterclockwise with respect to the module 26 a (limited by the positive stops provided between the groove 66 ends and the stop tab 62) and the stem 58 of the pivot pin 52 inserted once again into the slot 70 to secure the upper module 26 a in the lowered position.

As discussed previously, once in the lowered position, the upper module 26 a can be pivoted with respect to the lower module 26 b along the axis 42 defined by the pivot pin 52 of the upper module 26 a. The cross-shaped stem portion 58 of the pivot pin 52 interacts with the flexible locking arms 82 provided at the pivot end 78 of the lift support 50 to provide the discrete 45-degree locking positions. See FIGS. 9A and 9B.

As noted previously, similar structures are provided for the right side of the chassis 14 and the module 26 a for the pivotability and the liftability of the upper adapter mounting module 26 a.

It should be noted that in certain embodiments, for example, in the depicted embodiment, the lower adapter mounting module 26 b is also pivotable with respect to the chassis 14 and the upper module 26 a. According to one embodiment, the lower module 26 b is pivotable in a clockwise direction, away from the upper module 26 a, when viewed from the left side of the chassis 14.

As shown in the depicted example, the lower module 26 b may include similar features to that of the upper module 26 b such as a pivot pin 98 and can be mounted to the chassis 14 so as to be pivotable along a pivot axis defined by the pivot pin 98. Similar to that of the upper module 26 a, the pivot pin 98 may include a flange portion 100 and a stem portion 102. The pivot pin 98 may be used to mount the lower module 26 b to a mounting slot 104 provided on the chassis 14. An example of the slot 104 of the chassis 14 is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. Similar to that of the upper module 26 a, the pivot pin 98 of the lower module 26 b may also include a stop tab 106 at the base of the stem portion 102, adjacent the side face defined by the lower module 26 b. The stop tab 106, similar to that of the upper module 26 a, is configured to ride within a groove 108 defined as part of the mounting slot 104 of the chassis 14 and interact with an end 110 of the groove 108 to provide a positive stop for the lower module 26 b. The positive stop is provided for the lower module 26 b when the lower module 26 b is at a downwardly pivoted position as illustrated in FIG. 12.

It should be noted that the top and bottom surfaces 112, 114 of the upper and lower adapter mounting modules 26 a, 26 b may be designed with a certain amount of curvature, and the upper and lower modules 26 a, 26 b may be positioned such that frictional interference between the two modules 26 a, 26 b may provide simultaneous pivoting motion for the top row and the bottom row, albeit in opposite rotational directions.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, when the upper module 26 a is pivoted upwardly, the frictional interference between the bottom surface 114 of the upper module 26 a and the top surface 112 of the lower module 26 b may cause opposing rotational motion for the two rows. Thus, pivoting up the upper module 26 a may simultaneously pivot down the lower module 26 b to enlarge the size of the access area and to improve the access to the connectors 38 of both.

Providing the upper module 26 a and the lower module 26 b with identical or similar features may lead to manufacturing efficiencies and cost savings.

Although the depicted adapters 36 used in the panel assembly 10 of the present disclosure are of LC format, other types of fiber optic adapters 36, such as SC or MPO may be used.

Although in the foregoing description, terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “right,” “left,” “upper,” and “lower” were used for ease of description and illustration, no restriction is intended by such use of the terms. The telecommunications devices described herein can be used in any orientation, depending upon the desired application.

Having described the preferred aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, modifications and equivalents of the disclosed concepts may readily occur to one skilled in the art. However, it is intended that such modifications and equivalents be included within the scope of the claims which are appended hereto.

PARTS LIST

-   10 telecommunications panel assembly -   12 cable termination locations -   14 chassis -   16 open front -   18 main body -   20 top -   22 bottom -   24 side -   26 adapter mounting module -   26 a upper adapter mounting module -   26 b lower adapter mounting module -   28 upper row -   30 lower row -   32 frame -   34 module opening -   36 adapter -   38 connector -   40 cable -   42 pivot axis -   46 radius limiter -   48 cable management finger -   50 lift support -   52 pivot pin -   54 module side face -   56 flange portion of pivot pin -   57 flange pocket -   58 stem portion of pivot pin -   60 transverse cross-section -   62 stop tab -   64 base of stem portion -   66 groove -   68 ends of groove -   70 chassis slot -   72 flexible latch -   74 finger notch -   76 mounting end of lift support -   78 pivot end of lift support -   80 opening -   82 flexible locking arm -   84 protrusion -   86 leg -   88 mounting pin -   90 flange portion of mounting pin -   92 stem portion of mounting pin -   94 flats -   96 parallel edges -   98 pivot pin of lower adapter mounting module -   100 flange portion of pivot pin -   102 stem portion of pivot pin -   104 slot -   106 stop tab -   108 groove -   110 end of groove -   112 top surface -   114 bottom surface 

1. A telecommunications panel assembly comprising: a chassis including a front, the chassis further defining a top, a bottom, and two sides; a plurality of adapter mounting modules mounted to the chassis at the front, each adapter mounting module including a plurality of fiber optic adapters mounted in a line; wherein at least one of the adapter mounting modules is pivotally mounted about a horizontal rotation axis extending parallel to the top and bottom, and transversely to the sides; wherein the at least one pivotable adapter mounting module is rotatable in either an upward or a downward direction; a cable guide associated with one of the sides adjacent to the front of the chassis.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein all of the adapter mounting modules are pivotally mounted about horizontal rotation axes extending parallel to the top and bottom and transversely to the sides.
 3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein at least two of the adapter mounting modules define abutting top and bottom surfaces such that pivoting one adapter mounting module automatically pivots the other via frictional interaction.
 4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of adapter mounting modules defines an upper module and a lower module, wherein at least one of the upper module and the lower module is pivotable away from the other of the upper module and the lower module and is also removable from the chassis and remountable at a position spaced linearly apart from the other of the upper module and the lower module.
 5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the upper module is pivotable away from the lower module and is also removable from the chassis and remountable at a raised position from the lower module for facilitating access to adapters at a rear side of the lower module.
 6. A method of using the assembly of claim 1, wherein one or more adapter mounting modules are pivoted to improve connector access without pulling on front cables connected by the connectors to the adapters.
 7. A method of using the assembly of claim 1, wherein one of the adapter mounting modules is pivoted away from another of the adapter mounting modules and is also removed from the chassis and remounted at a position spaced linearly apart from another of the adapter mounting modules.
 8. A telecommunications panel assembly comprising: a chassis including a front, the chassis further defining a top, a bottom, and two sides; a plurality of adapter mounting modules mounted to the chassis at the front, each adapter mounting module including a plurality of fiber optic adapters mounted in a line; wherein at least one of the adapter mounting modules is mounted to the chassis with a pair of supports that are pivotable with respect to the at least one adapter module such that the at least one adapter module is removable from the chassis and remountable at a position spaced linearly apart from another of the adapter mounting modules.
 9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein all of the adapter mounting modules are also pivotally mounted about horizontal rotation axes extending parallel to the top and bottom and transversely to the sides.
 10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein at least two of the adapter mounting modules define abutting top and bottom surfaces such that pivoting one adapter mounting module automatically pivots the other via frictional interaction.
 11. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the plurality of adapter mounting modules defines an upper module and a lower module, wherein at least one of the upper module and the lower module is pivotable away from the other of the upper module and the lower module and is also removable from the chassis and remountable at a position spaced linearly apart from the other of the upper module and the lower module.
 12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the upper module is pivotable away from the lower module and is also removable from the chassis and remountable at a raised position from the lower module for facilitating access to adapters at a rear side of the lower module.
 13. A method of increasing access to adapters of an adapter mounting module mounted to a telecommunications chassis that defines a front, a top, a bottom, and two sides, the method comprising: removing an adapter mounting module from the chassis; pivoting a pair of supports that are mounted at right and left sides of the adapter mounting module; and remounting the adapter mounting module to the chassis via the supports at a position spaced linearly apart from another adapter mounting module that is initially adjacent to the remounted adapter module.
 14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the remounted adapter mounting module is also initially pivotable with respect to the other adapter mounting module about a horizontal rotation axis extending parallel to the top and bottom, and transversely to the sides.
 15. A method according to claim 13, wherein both adapter mounting modules are also initially pivotable with respect to the chassis about horizontal rotation axes extending parallel to the top and bottom, and transversely to the sides.
 16. A method according to claim 15, wherein both of the adapter mounting modules define abutting top and bottom surfaces such that pivoting one adapter mounting module automatically pivots the other via frictional interaction.
 17. A method according to claim 13, wherein the remounted adapter mounting module is an upper module, and the upper mounting module is raised linearly with respect to a lower mounting module.
 18. A method according to claim 17, wherein both the upper and the lower modules are pivoted away from each other about horizontal rotation axes extending parallel to the top and bottom, and transversely to the sides to facilitate access to the adapters of the adapter modules.
 19. A method according to claim 18, wherein pivoting of one of the upper and lower modules away from the other automatically pivots the other module via friction between the upper and lower modules. 